Regardless of industry, upholding product protection throughout your supply chain is paramount. Finished goods and materials must be properly packaged to suppress vibrations, sudden shifts, and other unwanted movements that could damage them during transit. With varying product shapes and weights, businesses must ensure they are using appropriately sized, durable plastic pallets.
Damage prevention, improved worker safety, and seamless logistical workflows are results of choosing the correct pallet size to move goods. Thermoformed plastic pallets help achieve these benefits by being a rigid, lightweight, and reusable packaging solution.
This detailed guide will cover key factors to think about when choosing the right pallet size for your business. Following these tips will help ensure your goods are shipped, stored, and distributed safely.
Considerations When Choosing Your Pallet Size
Some things can’t be overlooked when determining the best pallet size for your specific business needs. The packaging solution must ensure your goods arrive intact and on schedule for each shipment. From the total weight of your shipped products to the current material handling systems used, a compatible pallet footprint is essential. Some of these important considerations include:
- Product dimensions and total weight,
- Current equipment and processes used,
- Industry standards,
- Custom packaging solutions
- And more.
Plastic Pallets for All Shapes and Weights
The footprint of your pallet should be the same dimension, or very close to, as the goods you are planning to ship and store. This ensures a snug fit on the pallet, preventing sudden shifts and movements from harming your products as they move along the supply chain. Both a pallet that is too big and small can lead to undesirable results.
Using too large a pallet can:
- Increase overall shipping costs by adding unnecessary weight,
- Take up extra warehouse and facility floor space, and
- Amplify the risk of harm to your workforce and products with unstable loads.
Utilizing too small a pallet can:
- Cause damage from the packed-out goods overhanging,
- Slow down logistical processes due to poor ergonomics, and
- Raise transportation costs due to the increased number of shipments required.
Pallet Compatibility with Current Systems
Deciding on which size plastic pallet will best suit your business has a lot to do with your existing systems and equipment. If automation is present, you’ll need to confirm that the pallet dimensions are compatible and can move along as intended. The same goes for other common material handling machinery, such as forklifts and conveyors. In sync, it creates a seamless workflow for sending finished goods to their next destination. Being incompatible can introduce setbacks that include slower processes and financial loss.
Adhering to Industry Standards
Throughout the years, industries have adopted their own universal rules and guidelines when it comes to pallet sizes. The standard plastic pallet size used by many North American industries is the universal 40” x 48” pallet. These industries include food & beverage, retail, industrial manufacturing, and more. This footprint was adopted due to its ease of use with various racking systems, good space optimization in trailers and shipping containers, and its lightweight design.
However, not all industries follow the same standards. The automotive industry uses a returnable 45” x 48” plastic pallet to ship and store car parts. It’s the ideal size for automotive manufacturers to easily transport products within shipping containers and steel racks.
Customized Plastic Pallets Designed for Reusability
Sometimes, if a product is too large, wide, and/or heavy, a custom thermoformed pallet size will be required. The benefit of using plastic pallets is the flexibility to form pallets with a footprint tailored to your needs. Although there is a high upfront cost, long-term reusability and durability allow the packaging to withstand more shipping cycles.
Similar to how the dimensions of a thermoformed pallet can be altered, so can the thickness of the plastic material. If a product is more fragile or very heavy, businesses will look for heavier gauge packaging to enhance its protection. In the reverse, thinner pieces of durable extruded sheet can be used to transport and store lighter and less delicate items.
Find the Perfect Pallet Size for Your Business with Peninsula Plastics
Peninsula Plastics readily manufactures over 100 returnable transport pallets. These standard pallets cover a wide range of common styles and footprints, including a variation of 40” x 48” and 45” x 48” reusable plastic pallets.
Do your products and processes require a unique pallet size outside of the norm? Our in-house designers have years of experience engineering custom pallets for our clients. They’ll work within your part data and existing systems to ensure your next pallet is the perfect fit.
